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Plajoni

This is a page on the Tomek series universe.

Plajonis originate from the planet Plajona, just outside the Azten Empire. The Plajona surface area is about 80% ocean. Plajonis are as comfortable living underwater as they are in an atmosphere, and can breathe in either environment, using a separate organ to respire in each.

Plajonis are like cephalopods and appear in many ways to be like octopuses.

They have nine main tentacles or arms which function as muscular hydrostats for locomotion and grasping. The thicker portion of the length of each tentacle nearer the head can independently stiffen straight under voluntary control, allowing the plajoni to stand erect. This stiffening is caused by the artery dilating and the veins collapsing, allowing the spongelike cavities in the arm to inflate with blood. The arms each have two rows of suckers or cups on the underside used for gripping.

The large bulbous “head” is a skull or hard shell covered by skin. The head contains all the organs. The arms are all connected around the bottom of the head. Two large eyes protrude from either side of the head and can swivel to look in independent directions. Its mouth is a beak covered by skin and lips. It is placed on the lower front of its head just above a gap between its frontmost two arms. The mouth is surrounded by several miniature (three centimeter) tentacles used to grasp food or display emotion.

Plajoni have a mottled coloration, usually a blue or brown, that can be influenced slightly by the color of its surrounding, like a vestigial camouflage feature. They can have sparse white or grey hair around the top of their head.

Adult plajoni stand about one and a half meters high with mild discomfort, but more often prefer to sit or move close to the ground or sit on stools. Their head is about a half meter wide.

Plajonis have a deserved reputation for superior memory and comprehension. As a race, they are dispersed fairly widely in the galaxy quadrant and beyond, but not particularly populous outside of Azten.